Manufacture of moccasins



Marchll, 1941. ASHWQRTH ETAL 2,234,543

MANUFACTURE OF MoccAsINs Filed Nov. 15, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Wl/E/VTU/FS Ed M March 11, 1941. ASHWQRTH ETAL 2,234,543

MANUFACTURE OF MOCCASINS Filed NOV. 15, 1938 4 Sheets$heet 2 March 11,1941. HW ETAL 1 2,234,543

MANUFACTURE OF MOCCASINS Filed Nov. 15, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 11',1941. F, ASHWORTH ETAL 2,234,543

MANUFACTURE OF MOCCAS INS Filed Nov. 15, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURE. or MOCCASINS Fred Ashworth, Wcnham,and Corwin W. Baker, Stoneham, Mass., assignors to United Shoe MachineryCorporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J a corporation of New JerseyApplication November 15, 1938, Serial No. 240,546

31 Claims.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of moccasins. The termmoccasin as hereinafter employed includes all types of footwear wherebythat portion of the bottom of the foot from the region of the ballforwardly is provided with an integral covering the marginal portion ofwhich extends upwardly about the sides of the iorepart of the foot, suchfoot-bottom cover- I ing being herein identified as the moccasin bot- Vtedious and time-consuming hand labor which is "required in methods nowgenerally employed in the manufacture of moccasins.

With the above object in view, the invention in one of its aspectsconsists in positioning a moccasin bottom on a forepart-shaping form,applying shaping means to the forepart of the moccasin bottom, operatingsaid shaping means to shape the forepart to the form, holding the shapedforepart on the form by said shaping means and then, while the forepartis so held, applying a portable clamping member to the periphery of theforepart of the moccasin bottom between the line on which the forepartis trimmed for the reception of a toe piece, hereinafter referred to asthe trimming line, and the sole portion of the moccasin bottom to holdthe moccasin bottom in shaped condition on the form during operationssubsequent tothe shaping of the moccasin bottom. The illustrated shapingmeans is a flexible cable which moves lengthwise and heightwise of theform on the periphery of its iorepart to shape the iorepart of themoccasin bottom thereto. Preferably, the periphery of the forepart ofthe form is inclined somewhat, the form herein illustrated beinggenerally conoidal in shape at the forepart, to the end that the cablewill move heightwise of the form when it is drawn, rearwardly of theform. During its heightwise movement, the cable stretches the moccasinbottom about the forepart of the form and shapes it to the form. Theillustrated clamping member, whereby the forepart is held against theform after it has been shaped by the cable, engages the iorepart betweenthe cable and the sole portion of the moccasin and its upper edgeprovides a guide for the trimming knife. Preferably, the trimming knifeis also guided by a guiding surface provided on the form and so locatedthat when the knife is guided by the edge of the clamping member and theguiding surface on the form, it is correctly oriented to form on themoccasin bottom a beveled edge face adapted to be secured to the edgeface of the toe piece. The clamping member is applied to the forepart ofthe moccasin bottom and attached to the form while the forepart is heldagainst the form. by the cable and remains on the form while the toepiece is attached to the forepart. In order that the cable may bedepended upon to hold the shaped forepart against the form until theclamp ing member is attached to the form, the gradient of the peripheralsurface of the forepart of the form is such that there is no danger ofaccidentally pulling the cable over the top of the form in theforepart-shaping operation. In order to permit the toe piece to beattached to the moccasin bottom while the moccasin bottom. is still onthe form, the top of the forepart of the form is removable from the bodyportion of the form to provide room for the insertion of the toe piece.

In accordance with this invention, in another aspect, dry heat isapplied to the forepart of the moccasin bottom while it is clampedagainst theform and before the toe piece is attached thereto, thereby toaccelerate the drying of the forepart. This is particularly desirablewhen the moccasin is made from thick, oily stock, such as is commonlyemployed in the manufacture of this type of footwear. It is proposed toapply heat to the inner surface of the forepart in order that the entirethickness of the stock may be dried. Preferably, the drying is donebefore the toppiece is removed from the form by placing the moccasin ininverted position in a heater which, as herein illustrated, has a hotplate on. which the top piece of the form rests. Heat from the hot plateis conducted to the inner surface of the forepart of the moccasin bottomthrough the form which preferably is made of metal.

After the moccasin bottom on the form is removed from the heater,adhesive cement, such, for example, as latex, is applied to the edgeface of the forepart and also to the edge face of a toe piece and whilethe moccasin bottom is still held against the form'by the clampingmember, the toe piece, as herein illustrated, is initially attached tothe forepart of the moccasin bottom edgeto edge at selected points, forexample, at the toe end of the moccasin bottom and at opposite ends ofthe line of union of the toe piece and the moccasin bottom. Thispreliminary attachment helps to maintain the shape of the forepart ofthe moccasin bottom after the form is removed. Beforethe toe piece ispositioned for attachment to the moccasin bottom, a guard is sopositioned on the form as to prevent contact of the cemented heightwise.

edge face of the toe piece with the cemented edge face of the moccasinbottom except at the three points where said edge faces are to beunited. After the form is removed, the guard is removed and the cementattachment of the toe piece to the moccasin bottom is completed. Thisoperation may be completed to the best advantage after the form has beenremoved, since the moccasin bottom at that time is not confined and,consequently, the operator is free to arrange the cemented edge faces tohis satisfaction for pressing them together.

The moccasin is then completed by stitching the toe piece to theforepart, preferably by means of a machine-sewn lock-stitch seam, andstitching an outsole to the sole portion of the moccasin bottom. A lastis then inserted into the moccasin to give it its final shape andwhileit is on the last, the finishing operations are performed in theusual manner.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for use inpracticing the foregoing method. Accordingly, a feature of the inventioncomprises a form for use in shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottomcharacterized by the provision of a guiding surface for positioning atrimming knife heightwise of the: form. For holding a moccasin bottomagainst the form, there is provided, in accordance with a furtherfeature of the invention, a clamp constructed and arranged to engage theperiphery of the forepart of the moccasin bottom and grip it against theform, said clamp being provided with means for engaging the margin onlyof the sol-e portion of the moccasin bottom thereby to position theclamp A clamp which engages the margin only of the sole portion of amoccasin bottom may readily be applied to the moccasin :bottom while themoccasin bottom is held in shaped condition in a moccasin-shapingmachine such as that illustrated in Letters Patent of the United StatesNo. 2,086,526, granted July 13, 1937, on an appli--' cation of FredAshworth, since only the center of the sole portion of the moccasinbottom engages the work support of the lasting machine. As hereinillustrated, the clamp is provided with a knife-guiding surface whichco-operates with the knife-guiding surface of the form to position theknife heightwise of the moccasin bottom and to orient the knife so as toprovide a suitably beveled edge face for attachment to the edge face ofa toe piece. The forepart of the form is provided with a removable toppiece which is in position on the form during the shaping operation, theperiphery of said top piece providing the upper portion of theforepart-shaping surface of the form.

These and other aspects and features of the invention will now bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings and will bepointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of parts of a machine for shaping a moccasinbottom over a form, together with a moccasin bottom on a form inposition to be operated upon, the shaping member being shown in itsposition at the begining of the shaping operation;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the forepart only of themoccasin bottom on its form and showing the Work-engaging portion of theshaping member in its position at the completion of its operation;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the forepart of the moccasin bottom onits form, illustrating'the,

shaping of the side portions of the forepart with hand pincers;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the forepart of the moccasin bottom onits form and a clamping member clamped to the moccasin bottom to hold itin shaped condition;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 4, illustrating thetrimming of the forepart of the moccasin bottom by means of a handknife;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a toe piece, the margin of which hasbeen flanged upwardly to facilitate cement attachment thereof to themoccasin bottom edge to edge, part of the toe piece being broken away toshow the flange;

Fig. -7 isa perspective view similar to Fig. 5, showing the forepart ofthe form without its top piece, the forepart of a moccasin bottom on theform with a toe piece initially cemented to the moccasin bottom at threepoints and also a guard for preventing accidental contact of thecement-treated edge faces at the sides of the toe piece and the moccasinbottom;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the moccasin taken on the line VIII--VIIIof Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation illustrating part of a heater for heattreating the forepart of the moccasin bottom after it has been shapedand while it is still on the form, a moccasin bottom on its form beingillustrated in section in the heater;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 5, illustratingthetrimming of the forepart of the moccasin bottom by a hand knife afterthe top piece of the forepart of the form has been removed;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view illustrating operating parts of a foldingmachine operating on the margin of a moccasin toe piece to form a flangethereon;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of another moccasinshaping form, theforepart being shown in section and the forward portion of the top pieceof the form being broken away;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 12, illustrating the toe endof the form with a shaped moccasin bottom clamped thereto;

Fig. 14 is a perspective View of a clamp for gripping the forepart of amoccasin bottom against the form, and

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the forepart of a moccasin bottomgripped between the form and a clamp which differs slightly from thatshown in Fig. 14.

In practicing the method of the present invention, a moccasin bottom isshaped on a form specially provided for this operation, such a formbeing illustrated in Fig. l with a moccasin bottom 20 mounted thereon.Preferably, the form consists of a forepart 22 and a rear part 23 whichare connected together by a hinge, not shown in the drawings. The hingeconstruction, which may be the same as the hinge construction of any ofthe various types of hinged lasts, permits the rear part of the form tobe Withdrawn from the moccasin bottom before the moccasin is removedfrom the form. The advantage of employing a hinged form in practicingthe present method will be hereinafter explained. When the moccasinbottom 20 is mounted on the form, the forepart has not been shaped butis a substantially fiat piece of leather, while the, rear part, on theother hand, is substantially in its final form, The rear part of themoccasin bottom is accurately located on the rear part 23 of the formand is secured in position thereon by one or two tacks driven throughthe rear part of the moccasin bottorn and into the form. The moccasinbottom on the form is then mounted in upright position in a lastingmachine, such as that illustrated and described in the Ashworth PatentNo. 2,086,526, above referred to, parts of which are illustrated inFig. 1. The forepart of the moccasin bottom is mounted on awork-supporting table 24, while the rear part is positioned in a carrier26 which is moved forwardly of the supported moccasin on the table 24 toposition the forepart of the moccasin bottom for the lasting operation.The shaping of the forepart is performed by the operation of a flexibleshaping member or cable 28 which is drawn rearwardly of the moccasinbottom or to the right, as seen in Fig. 1, by the operation of mechanismnot shown in the drawings. The margin of the forepart of the moccasinbottom is manually turned upwardly about the bottom of the form into itsposition illustrated in Fig. 1 for the reception of the cable 28. At thebeginning of the lasting operation, the cable is positioned as shown inFig. 1, with its forward portion extending about the toe end of themoccasin bottom and located near the sole portion of the moccasinbottom. As the cable is drawn rearwardly of the form, it grips themargin of the forepart of the moccasin bottom and draws it upwardly uponthe peripheral surface of the forepart of the form which, as illustratedin Fig. 1, is so inclined that the cable moves heightwise of the formduring its rearward movement from its position in Fig. 1 to its positionin Fig. 2. This movement of the cable stretches the forepart of themoccasin bottom about the forepart of the form and compresses the marginof the forepart to shape it to the form. Preferably, the periphery ofthe forepart of the form is a conoidal surface without heightwisecurvature and having a substantially uniform gradient at the toe end,that is, the angle between the side portions and the bottom of the formis substantially the same at all points about the toe end of the form.This gradient is such that a heavy pull on the cable will cause thecable to move upwardly of said peripheral surface while permitting thecable at the end of the shaping operation to operate as a clamping meansto hold the moccasin bottom in shaped condition. After the lasting hasbeen completed and while the moccasin bottom is held in lasted positionby the clamping action of the cable 28, the operator stretches the sideportions of the forepart about the form by means of a lasting tool such,for example, as the lasting pincers 30 illustrated in Fig. 3. Thestretch thus imparted to the stock is maintained by the clamping actionof the cable 28 which is sufficient to prevent any loss of the tensionthus imparted to the stock while permitting the stock to be drawnupwardly between the cable and the form by the lastingpincers withoutinjury thereto. After the forepart of the moccasin bottom has beenlasted and while the moccasin bottom on the form is still held in thelasting machine with the forepart held in lasted position by the cable28, a forepart-clamping member 32 (Fig. 4) is brought into clampingengagementwith the forepart of the moccasin'bottom and secured by tacks,one of which is illustrated at 34 in Fig. 4, said tacks extendingthrough holes 36 provided in ears 38 extending rearwardly from the uppermargin of the clamping member. The clamping member engages that portionof the forepart between the cable 28 and the sole portion of themoccasin bottom and is positioned heightwise of the moccasin by theengagement of inwardly extending ears, one of defines the line alongwhich the forepart is to be.

trimmed for the reception of a toe piece, such, for example, as the toepiece 31 (Figs. 6 and 7). After the clamping member 32 has been securedto the form 22, the lasting cable 28 is released and the moccasin bottomclamped against the form by the member 32 is removed from the lastingmachine.

In Figs. 14 and 15, there is illustrated an alternative clamping membercomprising a band 39 which engages the upturned portion of the forepartof the shaped moccasin bottom and has an upper edge which provides aguide for a trimming knife. The clamping member is positioned heightwiseof the moccasin bottom by a band 4| constructed and arranged to engagethe margin of the sole portion of the moccasin bottom. For

connecting together the bands 39 and 4!, the

band 39 is provided with extensions 43 at its toe end and extensions 45at its rear end, the end portions of said extensions being turnedinwardly and secured to the band 4|. The bottom of the forepart of themoccasin-shaping form is convex and, consequently, only the centralportion of it engages the work-supporting portion of the lasting machine(Fig. l) and since the band 4| does not extend inwardly to the center ofthe sole portion of the moccasin bottom, the clamp may readily beapplied to the moccasin bottom while it is held in shaped position'inthe lasting machine. For seeming the clamp to the moccasin bottom, abail 41 is provided and the extensions 45 of the band 39 have outturnedportions 49 for receiving the hooked end portions of the bail. In Fig.15, there is illustrated a bail which is permanently attached to oneonly of the extensions 45 of the band 39, the bail being held againstremoval from the extension 45 by a ball 5l at one end of the bail. Fig.15, the bail engages a member 53 on the forepart 22 of the form and isheld by its own resiliency in a recess in the member 53.

In order to expedite the setting of the moccasin bottom to the form,itis proposed to apply heat to the moccasin bottom after the moccasinbottom has been shaped and while it is held on the form by the clampingmember. A heater suitable for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 9.This heater comprises an electrically heated plate 12 mounted on a base14 and covered by a. hood 16 having a plurality of openings 18 providedon its front face, said openings being large enough to admit theforepart of a moccasin bottom on a form. The moccasin bottom on its formis inserted into the heater in inverted position and the forepart of theform is supported on the hot plate while the rear part of the form issupported by the base 74. In order that heat may readily be applied tothe interior of the moccasin bottom on the form, the form is preferablymade of heatconducting material, such for example, as aluminum, woodenplugs being provided at points and by a latch pin 43 in the block whichengages a fixed pin 45 in the form. The block 40 is removed from theform 22 after the cable has been released to provide clearance withinthe upper portion of the forepart of the moccasin bottom for theattachment of the toe piece. The trimming of the forepart for attachmentto the toe piece may be performed either before or after the block 40 isremoved from the form 22. In either case, the upper edge of the clampingmember 32 serves as a gage for determining the trimming line and as aguide for the trimming knife. In case the block is not removed untilafter trimming it is preferable, as a matter of convenience here as wellas in the case when the block is removed before trimming, to release thecable before per forming the trimming operation. A suitable hand knifefor the trimming operation is illustrated at 42 in Fig. 5. It will beunderstood, however, that the particular type of knife employed is notmaterial to the invention. In fact, if desired, a cutting machine may beprovided for performing the trimming operation. Preferably, the forepartis so trimmed as to provide an edge face which is beveled inwardly forthe reception of a correspondingly beveled edge face of the toe piece(see Fig. 8). To facilitate the formation of the desired bevel on theedge face of the moccasin bottom, a moccasin-shaping form, such as thatillustrated in Fig. 12, may be employed. This form comprises a baseportion 62, the forepart of which is hollow and is provided with anupper edge face 64 which is beveled to correspond to the desired bevelon the edge face of the mocc-asin bottom and extends about the forepartof the form and defines the line along which the moccasin bottom is tobe trimmed. Referring to Fig. 13, the upper or knife-guiding edge of theclamp 39, when in position on the moccasin bottom, is in alinement withthe edge face 64 widthwise thereof and the trimming knife is accuratelyoriented for the formation of the required beveled edge face on themoccasin bottom by guiding it against the upper edge of the clamp andagainst the beveled edge face 64 of the form. The form illustrated inFig. 12 is provided with a top piece 66 which corresponds generally tothe top piece 40 illustrated in Fig. 3. The top piece 66 is providedwith an arcuate downward extension 68 at its toe end which engages theinner surface of the toe end of the base portion 62 of the form andpositions the toe end of the top piece in alinement with the toe end ofthe form. The rear portion of the top piece is located and secured tothe base 62 by a latch pin 10 which merely springs into a hole in thetop piece 66 to secure it to the base 32.

In order that the edge face of the toe piece may readily be positionedagainst the edge face of the forepart of the moccasin bottom, the marginof the toe piece is turned or flanged outwardly before assembling thetoe piece with the moccasin bottom. The flanging of the toe piece may beperformed in any convenient manner. For example, it may be performedquickly and efliciently by a folding machine such as that illustrated inLetters Patent of the United States No. 1,702,598, granted February 19,192.9,on an application of Perley R. Glass. Fig. 11 illustrates theoperating parts of such a folding machine in operation on a moccasin toepiece. After the toe piece has been thus flanged, adhesive cement isapplied to the edge face of the toe piece and also to the edge face ofthe moccasin bottom and the parts are assemblededge to edge, asillustrated in Fig. 7,

base of the block and into a socket in the form 22' while the moccasinbottom is still clamped against the form by the clamping member 32. Theclamping member 32 holds the edge faces at the sides of the forepart ofthe moccasin bottom closer together than they are located in thecompleted moccasin and this condition makes it diflicult to assemble thetoe piece and the moccasin bottom while the moccasin bottom is on theform. It is, nevertheless, desirable that the toe piece be attached tothe moccasin bottom before the clamping member 32 is released from theform in order to retain the shape of the forepart of the moccasin bottomwhich the cable 28 has imparted thereto. The difficulty in assemblingthe toe piece with the moccasin bottom is increased when latex isemployed as the adhesive for uniting the edge'faces of said parts sincelatexed surfaces, after the latex has become tacky, must be held againstaccidental contact because the latex loses its adhesive qualities if thetreated surfaces, after coming into contact with each other, are pulledapart to permit the parts to be relocated. It has been found that thebest results are obtained by initially securing the toe piece to theedge face of the moccasin bottom at three points only while the moccasinbottom remains on the form, namely, at the toe end of the moccasinbottom and at each end of the line of union, and completing theattachment after the form is removed. In order to prevent accidentalcontact of other portions of the edge face of the toe piece with theedge face of the moccasin bottom during the assembly of said parts, aguard, such, for example, as the guard 58 illustrated in Fig. 7, ispositioned on the forepart of the form with its downturned flanges 60positioned against the cemented edge faces of the moccasin bottom alongopposite sides thereof. The guard is thus positioned before the toepiece is located on the moccasin bottom. The guard remains in positionin the forepart of the moccasin until the form is removed and theoperator is ready to complete the assembly of the toe piece and themoccasin bottom.

In removing the form from the moccasin, care must be taken that theforepart of the form is not permitted to move forwardly in the moccasinto the slightest extent and it is also important that in removing theform, the forepart 22 of the form be moved rearwardly of the moccasin ina straight line extending from front to back of the moccasin, withoutany tipping movement whatever. Otherwise, the shape imparted to theforepart by the cable 28 will to some extent be lost and it will beimpossible thereafter to restore to the moccasin bottom the shapeimparted thereto by the cable. It has been found that a hinged form,such as that shown in Fig. 1, may be removed from the moccasin withoutserious danger of misshaping the forepart if the rear part is swungupwardly to break the form while the clamping member 32 is still heldagainst the forepart of the form. In breaking the form, the rear part isremoved from the rear portion of the moccasin, thus facilitating arectilinear movement of the form rearwardly of the moccasin to remove itfrom the forepart of the moccasin.

In the manufacture of inexpensive moccasins, the cost of a hinged formwill in some cases be prohibitive. In these cases, a form such as thatillustrated in Fig. 12 may be employed without serious danger ofmisshaping the forepart if the operator is careful in removing the formfrom the moccasin. Preferably, the rear part of the moccasin is pulleddownwardly 01f the form to permit a straight-line movement of the formrearwardly out of the forepart of the moccasin. After the form has beenremoved from the moccasin, the clamping member 32 is removed from theforepart of the moccasin bottom and immediately thereafter the operatorcompletes the cement attachment of the toe piece to the edge face of themoccasin bottom with his fingers. After cement attaching the toe pieceto the moccasin bottom, said parts are stitched together, preferably bymeans of a lockstitch sewing machine, such, for example, as thatillustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,950,386,granted March 13, 1934, upon an application of Fred Ashworth. An outsoleis then stitched to the sole portion of the moccasin bottom and themoccasin is then mounted on a last which gives the moccasin its finalshape. The remaining operations are performed in the usual manner whilethe moccasin remains on the last.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That method of making moccasins which comprise positioning a moccasinbottom on a forepart-shaping form, applying shaping means to theforepart of the moccasin bottom, operating said shaping means to shapethe forepart of the moccasin bottom to the form, holding the shapedforepart against the form by said shaping means, and then, while theforepart is so held, applying a portable clamping member to the forepartbetween the trimming line and the sole portion of the moccasin bottom tohold the moccasin bottom in shaped condition on the form until a toepiece is secured to the moccasin bottom.

2. That method of making moccasins which comprises positioning amoccasin bottom on a forepart-shaping form, applying a shaping member tothe forepart of the moccasin bottom, moving said member lengthwise andheightwise of the form thereby to work the forepart of. the moccasinbottom smoothly into engagement with the periphery of the form, holdingthe shaped forepart against the form by means of the shaping member, andthen, while the forepart is so held, applying a portable clamping memberto the forepart between the shaping member and the sole portion of themoccasin bottom to hold the moccasin bottom in shaped condition on theform until a toe piece is secured to the moccasin bottom.

3. That method of making moccasins which comprises first shaping theforepart of a moccasin bottom on a form, then while the forepart is heldagainst the form by the shaping means applying to the forepart aclamping means which engages the periphery of the forepart between thetrimming line and the sole of the moccasin bottom and holds it againstthe form, then releasing the shaping means from the forepart of themoccasin, and trimming the forepart while it is held against the form bysaid clamping means.

4. That method of making moccasins which comprises mounting a moccasinbottom on a form the forepart of which has a conoidal peripheralsurface, the extent of said surface heightwise of the form being greaterthan the height of the forepart of a completed moccasin, applying to themoccasin bottom on the form a forepart-shaping means, gripping themoccasin bottom tightly against the form with the -shap ing means toprevent any substantial relative movement heightwise of the form betweenthe shaping means and the margin of the moccasin bottom, and moving theshaping means heightwise of the form to stretch the moccasin bottomabout the form and shape it thereto.

5. That method of making moccasins which comprises 'mounting a moccasinbottom on a form the forepart of which has a conoidal peripheralsurface, the extent of said surface heightwise of the form being greaterthan the height of the forepart of a completed moccasin, applying aflexible forepartembracing lasting member to the moccasin bottom on theform, and operating the lasting member to grip the moccasin bottomtightly against the form to prevent any substantial relative movementheightwise of the form between the shaping means and the margin of themoccasin bottom and to stretch the moccasin bottom about the form. I

6. That method of making moccasins which comprises positioning amoccasin bottom on a forepart shaping form having inwardly sloping sideswhich are straight heightwise of the form,

applying to the moccasin bottom on the form a forepart shaping means,and exerting a rearward tension on said shaping means thereby to causesaid shaping means to grip the moccasin bottom tightly and to moveupwardly over the inwardly-sloped sides of the form carrying the Igripped portion of the moccasin bottom with it to stretch the moccasinbottom over the form.

7. That method of making moccasins which comprises positioning amoccasin bottom on a forepart shaping form having inwardly sloping sideswhich are straight heightwise of the form, applying to the moccasinbottom on the form a flexible forepart-embracing lasting member, andpulling the said lasting member rearwardly to cause it to grip themoccasin bottom tightly against the form and with the gripped portion ofthe moccasin bottom to move upwardly over the inwardly-sloped sides ofthe form carrying the gripped portion of the moccasin bottom with it totension the moccasin bottom heightwise of the form.

8. That method of shaping foreparts of moccasins which comprisespositioning a moccasin bottom on a form the forepart of which has aconoidal peripheral surface, positioning the margin of the forepart ofthe moccasin bottom against the periphery of the form, applying shapingmeans to the margin of the moccasin bottom at a position thereon nearthe bottom of the form, and drawing the shaping means rearwardly of theform thereby to cause it to grip the margin of the moccasin bottomagainst the form, then to travel heightwise of the form, carrying themoccasin bottom with it, and thus to work the moccasin bottom smoothlyinto engagement with the periphery of the forepart of the form.

9. That method of shaping foreparts of moccasins which comprisespositioning a moccasin bottom on a form the forepart of which has aconoidal peripheral surface, positioning the margin of the forepart ofthe moccasin bottom against the periphery of the form, applying aflexible shaping member to the margin of the moccasin bottom at aposition thereon near the bottom of the form, drawing the flexibleshaping member rearwardly of the form thereby to cause it to grip themargin of the moccasin bottom against the form, then to travelheightwise of the form, carrying the moccasin bottom with it, and thusto work the moccasin bottom smoothly into engagement with the peripheryof the forepart of the form, and terminating the operative movement ofsaid member with said member positioned at or in the immediate vicinityof the line on which the forepart of the moccasin bottom is trimmed toreceive a toe piece.

10. That method of shaping foreparts of moccasins which comprisespositioning a moccasin bottom on a form the forepart of which has aconoidal peripheral surface of substantially uniform gradient at the toeend, the extent of said surface heightwise of the form being greaterthan the height of the forepart of a completed moccasin, positioning themargin of the forepart of the moccasin bottom against the periphery ofthe form, applying a flexible shaping member to the margin of themoccasin bottom at a position thereon near the bottom of the form,drawing the flexible shaping member rearwardly of the form thereby tocause it to grip the margin of the moccasin bottom against the form,then to travel heightwise of the form, carrying the moccasin bottom withit, and thus to work the moccasin bottom smoothly into engagement withthe periphery of the forepart of the form, and after the shapingoperation has been completed maintaining the tension of said memberagainst the moccasin bottom thereby to hold it in shaped condition onthe form, and applying a clamping member to that portion of the forepartof the moccasin bottom between the trimming line and the sole portion ofthe moccasin bottom.

11. That method of shaping foreparts of moccasins which comprisespositioning a moccasin bottom on a form the forepart of which has aconoidal peripheral surface of substantially uniform gradient at the toeend, the extent of said surface heightwise of the form being greater banthe height of the forepart of a completed moccasin, positioning themargin of the forepart of the moccasin bottom against the periphery ofthe form, applying a shaping member to the margin of the moccasin bottomat a position thereon near the bottom of the form, drawing the shapingmember rearwardly of the form thereby to cause it to grip the margin ofthe moccasin bottom against the form, then to travel heightwise of theform, carrying the moccasin bottom with it and thus to work the moccasinbottom smoothly into engagement with the periphery of the forepart ofthe form, gripping the forepart of the shaped moccasin bottom betweenthe form and a clamping member, while the moccasin bottom is so grippedtrimming the forepart, and in the course of the trimming operationguiding the trimming member against a guiding surface provided on theform.

12. That method of shaping foreparts of moccasins which comprisespositioning a moccasin bottomon a form the forepart of which has aconoidal peripheral surface of substantially uniform gradient at the toeend, applying a flexible shaping member to the forepart of the moccasinbottom on the form, tensioning the flexible shaping member against theforepart of the moccasin bottom thereby gripping the moccasin bottomagainst the form and effecting movement of said member and the margin ofthe moccasin bottom heightwise of the form to work the moccasin bottomsmoothly into engagement with the periphery of the form, thereaftercompleting the shaping of the forepart to the form by pulling sideportions of the forepart heightwise of the form, and holding theforepart so shaped solely by 'the gripping action of the flexibleshaping member.

13. That method of making moccasins which comprises providing amoccasin-shaping form the top of the forepart of which is removable toafford access to the inner surface of the margin of the forepart of amoccasin bottom thereon, shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottom onthe form, gripping against the form that portion of the forepart betweenthe trimming line and the sole of the moccasin, trimming the forepart,attaching a toe piece to the margin of the forepart while the forepartis still gripped against the form, and removing the top of the forepartduring that interval between the gripping of the forepart against theform and the attachment of a toe piece to the forepart.

14. That method of making moccasins which comprises providing a form thetop of the forepart of which is removable to afford access to the innersurface of the forepart of a moccasin bottom on the form, shaping theforepart of a moccasin bottom on the form, applying a clamp to theforepart of the moccasin bottom thereby to grip against the form thatportion of the forepart between the trimming line and the sole of themoccasin, removing the top of the forepart of the form, then trimmingthe forepart of the moccasin bottom while employing the upper edge ofthe clamp as a trimming gage, and attaching a toe piece to the margin ofthe forepart while the forepart is still gripped against the form.

15. That method of making moccasins which comprises providing a form thetop 'of the forepart of which is removable to afford access to the innersurface of the forepart of a moccasin bottom on the form, shaping theforepart of a moccasin bottom on the form, applying a clamp to theforepart of the moccasin bottom thereby to grip against the form thatportion of the forepart between the trimming line and the sole of themoccasin, removing the top of the forepart of the form, then trimmingthe forepart of the moccasin bottom while employing the upper edge ofthe clamp as a trimming gage, and cement attaching a toe piece to themargin of the forepart edge to edge while the forepart is still grippedagainst the form.

16. That method of making moccasins which comprises applying shapingmeans to the forepart of a moccasin bottom on a form,'gripping againstthe form that portion of the forepart between the trimming line and thesole of the moccasin while the forepart is held against the form by theforepart-shaping means, releasing the forepart-shaping means, trimmingthe forepart so as to provide an undercut beveled edge face, providing atoe piece having an undercut beveled edge face, flanging the beveledmargin of the toe piece to arrange its beveled edge face for attachmentto the beveled edge face of the moccasin bottom, and attaching the toepiece to the moccasin bottom edge to edge while holding the forepartgripped against the form.

17. That method of making moccasins which comprises applying shapingmeans to the forepart of a moccasin bottom on a form, applying aclamping member to the forepart of the moccasin bottom thereby to gripagainst the form that portion of the forepart between the trimming lineand the sole of the moccasin, securing the clamping member to the form,disengaging the shaping means from the moccasin bottom, and applying dryheat to the moccasin bottom while the clamping member remains on theform.

18. That method of making moccasins which comprises shaping the forepartof a moccasin bottom on a form, holding the shaped forepart against theform, providing a toe piece for closing the top of the forepart,cement-attaching the toe piece to the moccasin bottom at selected pointsonly, removing the moccasin from the form, and thereafter completing thecement attachment of the toe piece to the moccasin bottom.

19. That method of making moccasins which comprises shaping the forepartof a moccasin bottom on a form, holding the shaped forepart against theform, providing a toe piece for closing the top of the forepart,flanging the margin of the toe piece, cement-attaching the edge face ofthe toe piece to the edge face of the moccasin bottom at three pointsonly, namely at the forward end of the toe piece and at each end of theline of union of said parts, removing the moccasin from the form, andcompleting the cement attachment of the toe piece to the moccasinbottom.

20. That method of making moccasins which comprises shaping the forepartof a moccasin bottom on a form, providing a toe piece for closing thetop of the forepart, trimming the forepart for the reception of the toepiece, applying adhesive cement to the edge face of the forepart and tothe edge face of the toe piece, inserting a guard between the unattachedportions of said cemented edge faces to prevent accidental contact ofthe cemented surfaces, attaching the toe piece to the forepart atselected points only, then removing the moccasin from the form, removingthe guard, and completing the cement attachment of the toe piece to themoccasin bottom.

21. That method of making moccasins which comprises gripping theforepart of a moccasin bottom between an inner moccasin-shaping form anda clamp, while the moccasin bottom is so gripped trimming the forepart,and in the course of the trimming operation guiding the trimming memberagainst guiding surfaces provided on the moccasin-shaping form and theclamp.

22. That method of making moccasins which comprises gripping theforepart of a moccasin bottom between an inner form and a clamp, whilethe moccasin bottom is so gripped trimming the forepart and in thecourse of the trimming operation guidirm the trimming member against aguiding surface provided on the form, and further guiding the trimmingmember against the upper edge of the clamp thereby to effect apredetermined orientation of the trimming member.

23. That method of making moccasins which comprises gripping theforepart of a shaped moccasin bottom between an inner moccasin-shapingform and a clamp, while the moccasin bottom is so gripped trimming theforepart and in the course of the trimming operation guiding thetrimming member against guiding surfaces provided on themoccasin-shaping form and the clamp, securing a toe piece to theforepart of the moccasin bottom, removing the form and the clamp andcompleting the moccasin.

24. Clamping-members between which a moccasin bottom is intended to besecured in shaped condition during a trimming operation thereon, saidclamping members comprising a form and a clamp, each of which ischaracterized by the provision thereon of a guiding surface for atrimming knife, said clamp being of such a height and being providedwith means for so positioning it heightwise relatively to the form thata trimming knife guided and oriented by the guid-' ing surfaces of theform and the clamp cuts an inwardly beveled edge face on the moccasinbottom.

25. Clamping members for holding a moccasin bottom in shaped conditionduring a trimming operation thereon comprising a form provided with aninwardly-sloped surface for guiding a trimming knife, and a clamp havinga knifeguiding surface, the clamp being of such a height and havingmeans for so locating it relatively to the form that the guiidng surfaceof the clamp is in alinement with the beveled guiding surface of theform widthwise thereof.

26. A form for use in shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottomcharacterized by the provision of an inwardly-sloped guiding surface forpositioning a trimming knife heightwise of the form and for orientingthe trimming knife.

27. A form for use in shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottomcharacterized by the provision of a knife-guiding surface extendinginwardly from the periphery of the form at an inclination toward thesole portion of'the form and extending about the toe end of the form andlongitudinally of the form along opposite sides of the forepart.

28. A form for use in shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottomcharacterized by the provision of a guiding surface for positioning atrimming knife heightwise of the form, and a top piece removably mountedon said guiding surface, the side faces of the top piece being inheightwise alinement with the side faces of the form and cooperatingwith the side faces of said form to effect a single continuous surfacewhich is straight heightwise of the form.

29. A form for use in shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottomcharacterized by the provision of a knife-guiding surface extendinginwardly from the periphery of the form at an inclination toward thesole portion of the form and extending about the toe end of the form andlongitudinally of the form along opposite sides of the forepart, and aremovable top piece constructed and arranged to be mounted on saidguiding surface, the periphery of said top piece being in alinement withthe periphery of the form.

30. A form for use in shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottom, saidform comprising a bottom piece having inwardly sloping side portionswhich are straight heightwise of the form and are of substantiallyuniform gradient at the toe end, and a removable top piece havinginwardly sloped sides which are substantially a continuation of thesides of the bottom piece and form therewith a single continuous surfacewithoutheightwise curvature.

31. A form for use in shaping the forepart of a moccasin bottom, saidform comprising a bottom piece of generally conoidal shape withoutheightwise curvature and having inwardly sloped side portions which areof uniform gradient at the toe end, and a removable top piece havinginwardly sloped sides which are substantially a continuation of thesides of the bottom piece and form therewith a single continuous surfacewhich is straight heightwise of the form.

FRED ASHWORTH. conwm W. BAKER.

